ALPHARETTA, GA — Police in Alpharetta say a young boy believed to be around 8 years old is accused of stealing a Toyota Corolla from an apartment complex before abandoning the car and running away.

Lt. Jason Hyatt with Alpharetta police said a man who witnessed the incident reported the child was so small he could barely see over the steering wheel.

“He told us that the child was so small that he couldn’t see over the steering wheel and he saw the child park the car,” Hyatt said.

Police said the car’s owner had briefly left it running when it was taken. The vehicle has since been recovered, but the boy has not been found.

Investigators described the suspect as about 4 feet tall, wearing an orange shirt and sport shorts. He was last seen running away after parking the car inside the complex.

Hyatt called the joyride a “crime of opportunity.”

WSB’s Cheryl Castro contributed to this story